: Rondeau M378 Le Mans GTP P.O.A.

car description

Description: “Old Number 1”, the Iron Man of the Le Mans 24 Hours race • The single car that has taken more 24 Hours of Le Mans starts than any other in history • Entered 10 Le Mans 24 Hours races between 1978 and 1988 • Second overall in 1981, third overall in 1980, and fifth overall in 1979 at the Le Mans 24 Hours race • Competed in 19 races in 10 seasons, including Monza, Spa, Brands Hatch and Hockenheim When a 1972 rules change banned the Porsche 917, French manufacturer Matra won three Le Mans 24 Hours in a row, withdrawing after 1974. The 1975 race saw Cosworthpowered Gulf-Mirages and Lolas mix it up with Porsche Carreras. Then, two French entrepreneurs surfaced in 1976. Jean Rondeau, who had raced at Le Mans in 1972, ‘73 and ’75, and Peugeot designer Gerard Welter both planned to use the Peugeot/Renault/Volvo 2.7-litre V-6. This would have meant strong French support but Rondeau was convinced that the English Cosworth V-8 held more promise. He designed a steel space frame with aluminium box sections around the engine. His aerodynamic GTP cars weighed just 1,796 pounds, generating 415 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. The English engine eliminated local sponsorship, but Rondeau’s solu